FAQ — Amplify Her

What is OUR Mission?

Equalize an unsatisfactory gap of women in NYC office: there has never been a woman mayor, currently there are no women in citywide office.

Build a movement to elect more women to NYC office by mobilizing New Yorkers and developing a more engaged voter base.
Educate voters about the political system and importance of primary elections to reverse the dismal voter turnout in Democratic primaries.
Encourage small "d" democracy and advance progressive policies that center low-income and marginalized communities in New York.

Endorse progressive women (see details on process below) and provide support to help endorsed women win their races. The first slate of Amplify Her®-endorsed candidates were all challenging powerful incumbents and yet 80% won their primary.

Amplify Her® registers voters, recruits and trains volunteers to support endorsed candidates.
Amplify Her® does not train women to run for office.

Join us as we canvass for our endorsed candidates. The heart and soul of Amplify Her® is organizing, so the priority is always connecting with voters. Sign up for canvasses and phone banks here.
Attend Amplify Her® meetings, which are a great way to meet the team and learn more about how to get involved.

Follow Amplify Her® social media channels to stay informed about meetings and events: Instagram and Twitter.
Contact us to learn more!

There is no cost to becoming a member. Simply complete the Amplify Her Sign Up Form and we will keep you informed of monthly membership meetings, candidate forums and other events.

To become a voting member, you must have canvassed 10 or more hours for Amplify Her in the past 12 months. You must register in advance via the Amplify Her® Volunteer form. Please note that while we encourage supporting our endorsed candidates in additional ways (such as fundraising or participating in other voter outreach efforts) voting eligibility is based solely on participation in Amplify Her® canvasses.
Voting members are expected to attend candidate forums/screenings and read candidate questionnaires before casting their vote.
Voting members are required to sign the Amplify Her® Confidentiality Agreement prior to receiving candidate questionnaires and other campaign materials.
If a member decides to resign from the organization, they are no longer eligible to vote.

Amplify Her® Borough Directors are actively engaged with local politics and other community events. Responsibilities include organizing and membership building. If you are interested in the position, email us at info@amplifyher.nyc about next steps.
Please note that all members of the leadership team are required to sign the Amplify Her® Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy.

To learn more about the candidates we have endorsed, check out the Amplify Her® Endorsements.
Amplify Her® evaluates candidates looking to run for office that covers any part of the five boroughs at the city, state or federal level.
Amplify Her® does not currently endorse candidates in judicial races or those for party positions (State Committee and District Leader).

Borough Directors are engaged in local politics and make recommendations about which races to endorse in. The leadership team as a whole determines which races Amplify Her® will consider endorsing in, and then invites women candidates in those fields to participate in our process. Please note that our consideration of a race does not guarantee that Amplify Her® will definitely endorse in said race.
Candidates are generally asked to respond to a written questionnaire and/or in-person screening done either as a private interview or public forum. This process may vary from race to race depending on a variety of factors (e.g. special election vs. primary, number of candidates, size of district).
If we find false information is provided in the screening process Amplify Her® will remove the candidate from consideration. In the case false statements come to light after a vote, there will be a second ballot which can trigger Amplify Her® rescinding an endorsement.

Amplify Her® voting members cast their anonymous votes via an online Ranked Choice Voting system, and ‘no endorsement’ may be presented as an option.
We encourage candidates interested in our endorsement to proactively reach out to Borough Directors, which can be done via this online contact form.

Amplify Her is volunteer driven organization so we expect (and encourage!) members to get involved in campaigns, whether or not it is a candidate Amplify Her® has endorsed. Volunteering on campaigns does not impact member or leadership roles at Amplify Her®.
Amplify Her® Leadership Team members that are candidates (have both declared and filed for city, state or federal office), staffers of candidates (paid and unpaid) or immediate family members (parent, child or partner) of candidates must 1) disclose this to the leadership board in writing and 2) go on sabbatical starting 9 months prior to the primary or special election. This policy is to ensure candidates and their surrogates are not participating in conversations about the questionnaire and screening process, which could provide an unfair advantage. Amplify Her® leadership team members can remain involved in non-endorsement activities (e.g. youth outreach) and retain their ability to cast a ballot if they are active voting members.
View the full Amplify Her® Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy here.

Amplify Her® PAC is an independent expenditure committee that uses donation money to support volunteer efforts including canvassing, phone and text banking; to create and distribute materials that promote our endorsed candidates; and to pay staff that coordinate this and other essential related work to advance our mission of correcting the gender imbalance in elected office in New York City.
Amplify Her® PAC activities are NOT coordinated with candidates and their campaigns.
All candidates whose campaigns receive support through the PAC are endorsed by Amplify Her®, as chosen by voting members. Voting members must complete 10 hours of volunteer work over the previous 12 months.
Both locally and nationally, PACs tend to donate less money to women candidates than their male counterparts. Amplify Her® PAC seeks to address this imbalance. It also provides an opportunity for those who have already maxed out on campaign contributions to continue supporting a candidate’s or candidates’ run for office.